Nut & Seed Burgers

Third time was the charm for these amazing burgers! I have no idea how the texture of a burger, made from mostly nuts and seeds (think dense) can be light and kinda fluffy. Fluffy? Not really the kind of adjective you would expect for a burger. But somehow, these guys, while being quite substantial, are light in texture. And they are SUPER filling… well with all those nuts and seeds it’s no wonder.

The second time around I changed them up a bit and used barbecue sauce instead of tomato paste and then slathered them with some of the sauce before baking. The taste was amazing, so if you like barbecue flavor, you certainly could do that here.

One word about the tomato paste… I use a jarred paste that is pretty thin compared to other tomato pastes that I’ve used. I’ve gotten away from using canned tomato products because of the interaction of the acids with the metal cans…. it’s been said that the acid in tomatoes can leach BPA from the cans. There was a recent study by the FDA which tried to disprove the theory, and there is still much contention about the results, but I’d rather not take chances with my health. So I always use tomato products that are packaged in either glass or paper cartons. The paste I used for these burgers is readily available in most health food stores or online at VitaCost here. If your tomato paste is very thick, add 2 tablespoons of water to thin it for this recipe.

This is the tomato paste I use.

What I love most about these burgers is their texture. Even though they are light, they hold together real well. You can even pick them up and eat them like a hand patty. Great for packing a lunch or taking on a hike!

Ingredients:

1 cup blanched almond flour
½ cup raw walnuts
¼ cup raw pumpkin seeds
¼ cup raw sunflower seeds
2 TBS raw pine nuts
1 TBS chia seeds
½ TBS ground flax seeds
1¼ cups cooked lentils, excess water drained
2 TBS rolled oats
2 TBS raw almond butter
3 TBS tomato paste (or barbecue sauce)
1 TBS Spike salt-free seasoning
1 tsp onion powder
½-1 tsp red chile flakes, depending on how much heat you like

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350° F.
Line a baking sheet with parchment or silicone liner.
Place the almond flour, walnuts, pumpkin seeds, sunflower seeds and pine nuts in a food processor and pulse until you have a course mixture.
Add remaining ingredients and pulse until combined but not mushy. You still want some texture in there. Scrape down the sides if needed to keep things moving and avoid a mushy bit in the bottom.
Form into 6 patties.
Bake for 10 minutes on each side.
You can also fry these in a small amount of oil if you prefer. It’s quicker… takes about 3-4 minutes on each side. I prefer baking in order to omit the oil.

NOTE: When I made these, I had twice the amount of ingredients and that amount was just too hard to work with in the food processor. If you want to make a big (double) batch, I suggest you pulse the nuts and seeds in the food processor, as above, and then mix that with everything else in a bowl, using your hands to smoosh it all together.